About Silverleaf

About Julie

Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved stories who grew up to be a woman who loved stories. As a child, my mother took me to the library in the small rural town in Mississippi where I was born, and I loaded up on the picture books we read together every night. As a teenager, my parents used to try to get me to go to the neighborhood pool, but I mostly just liked to stay home reading on our screened in porch. I went away to college thinking I would be a doctor, but I ended up studying history and literature. All my life, books have exerted a powerful pull on me that was impossible to resist.

I love intricately plotted stories that make me cry and keep me up until 2 a.m. even if I’m exhausted. I’m continually delighted by the new worlds, real and imaginary, that authors can create. I’m drawn to historical fiction and narrative non-fiction, anything that educates as well as tells a story. I like reading about places that don’t exist anymore or places that never existed in the first place. I love YA (who doesn’t have a book that changed her life as a teenager?), stories of mothers and daughters and families, and anything with a magical spark. Mostly I love a good story, well told, of any style and genre. There’s nothing that can replace the feeling of getting drawn into a book and never wanting it to end.

After 13 years of working with authors at Marly Rusoff & Associates, I launched Silverleaf Editorial to connect with even more authors and to help them create the transformative reading experiences that made them fall in love with books in the first place. I have been an editor, a writer, and a ghostwriter for almost 15 years. Let’s talk about how about I can help you bring your ideas and your books to life.

Other things to know about me:

I went to Harvard College and have a degree in History and Literature.

I believe in the serial comma.

I lived for two years in Spain and have a Masters in International Relations.

My favorite novel of all time is Bel Canto by fellow Nashvillian Ann Patchett. Other recent favorites include The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, the Seeds of America trilogy by Laurie Halse Anderson, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, and Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks.

I speak Spanish, French, and Portuguese.

My favorite non-fiction books right now are Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss by Edmund de Waal.

The last foreign country I visited was Norway.

I have a MFA in Fiction Writing from Sarah Lawrence College.

My Approach

While no project and no writer is the same, my approach is structured, methodical, deliberate, and personalized every time.

Although I’m well-versed in the business of publishing, I help writers balance their artistic goals with the demands of the literary marketplace throughout the entire writing process from first draft to (hopefully!) publication.

My goal is to honor each writer’s unique voice and story while rigorously evaluating what’s going right in your manuscript and what might not be working so well. I aim to be a positive, constructive editorial partner, and I offer every writer who works with me “a roadmap to revision” that discusses multiple possibilities for how to improve your work and specific ideas on how to implement each suggestion.

For non-fiction writers, I am a collaborator who can help you develop a book idea and draft a proposal and sample material. I’m good at seeing a project from all angles and quick to get up to speed if your project requires subject matter expertise and an understanding of a niche marketplace. I read a lot of nonfiction and am up to date on trends. I can help you translate your ideas and expertise into a book that will help you expand your platform.